Daily Current Affairs 9 April 2018 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Maharashtra Govt introduces free chemotherapy in 10 districts

The Maharashtra state government has introduced free chemotherapy facility in 10 districts from June. The state government will include more districts once the scheme is rolled out in these districts successfully.

The facility will be made available at the district hospitals of Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Pune, Amravati, Jalgaon, Nasik, Wardha, Satara, Bhandara and Akola.

Haryana govt announces special benefits to TB patients

The Haryana state government has decided to provide special benefits, including nutritional support, to tuberculosis patients in an effort to eliminate the infectious disease by 2025.

The state government would provide nutritional support of Rs 500 per month during treatment to notified TB patients with effect from April 1 this year through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.

Kerala Govt to launch ‘community radio’ to update farmers

In an effort to boost agricultural production and attract more people to farming, Kerala state government is planning to launch a community radio at Kuttanad, also known as the `rice bowl’ of Kerala, to keep them abreast of the latest developments in the sector.

The Kuttanad Farm Radio will reportedly be the first community radio in the country pieced together under a government initiative, that aims to reach out to the farming community and supply them with relevant updates on climate change and environment issues, agrarian crises and alerts, and information on various aspects of agriculture that every farmer would require.

Assam’s Spring Festival Begins in Manas National Park

The two-day Assam Spring Festival began at the Manas National Park where visitors will get to experience the state’s local food, music, handloom and handicrafts.

The aim of the event is to promote the local food and culture of the fringe villagers. It is an attempt to create a model of alternative livelihood through food, handloom and Cultural Park.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Nepal PM conferred with Honorary degree at Dehradun University

Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is on a three-day State visit to India, was presented an Honorary degree at GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in the capital city of Uttarakhand Dehradun.

The Nepal Prime Minister is accompanied by his wife Radhika Shakya and an entourage of ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs), secretaries and other high-ranking officials of the Nepal Government.

BANKING & FINANCE

SBI to invest Rs 80 bn in hydropower project of Nepal

The State Bank of India (SBI) will be investing a total of Rs 80 billion in the Arun III hydropower project of Nepal, which has 900 megawatts (MW) electricity production capacities.

Along with this, the Punjab National Bank will lend the loan for the construction of the 268 km long 400 KV transmission line via the Everest Bank which is the joint venture bank of the PNB.

RBI switches back to GDP scale to measure economy

The Reserve Bank of India switched back to the gross domestic product (GDP)-based measure to offer its growth estimates from the gross value added (GVA) methodology, citing global best practices.

The government had started analysing growth estimates using GVA methodology from January 2015 and had also changed the base year to 2018 from January.

SPORTS

Ankita Raina becomes only third Indian woman to break top-200 barrier

Ankita Raina became only the third Indian woman tennis player to breach the top-200 rankings in singles.

She jumped 15 places to reach a career-best 197 in the WTA chart. The 25-year-old Ankita is the first player to achieve the feat since Sania Mirza put India on the singles map with her remarkable achievements over the years.

Vettel wins record 4th Bahrain Grand Prix

German Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel has won the Bahrain Grand Prix, the second race of the 2018 Formula 1 season, for a record of fourth time, two weeks after clinching the Australian GP, strengthening his grip on the top spot in the driver standings.

Spain’s Muguruza wins 2018 Monterrey Open

Top seed and World No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain fought her way to her first title of the year at the Abierto GNP Seguros, with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over No.4 seed Timea Babos of Hungary to win 2018 Monterrey Open.

APPOINTMENTS

Hungary’s strongman Viktor Orban wins third term in power

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban won a third straight term in power in elections after his anti-immigration campaign message secured a strong majority for his party in parliament, granting him two-thirds of seats based on preliminary results.

Ban Ki-moon named Boao Forum chair

Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was elected chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, which is currently underway in China’s Hainan province. Ban replaced Japan’s Yasuo Fukuda.

AWARDS

India’s Anish Sood wins at Independent Music Awards

Electronic dance music artiste and music producer Anish Sood became the first Indian artiste to win the Best Electronica/Dance Single at the 16th Annual Independent Music Awards (IMA) in London.